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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE *CALLING ALL BUNNY PARENTS* What am I doing wrong! Please help :(

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    • Applebunny
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        Hello all! 🙂 My name is DestinĂ© and my bunny’s name is Apple. I am a first-time bunny parent and my green-ness is definitely showing because I have NO IDEA what I am doing wrong! So, for some background information, Apple is a 5-7 month only Netherland Dwarf and for the past couple weeks her poop has been dark and “squishy” almost wet looking. I took her to the vet because I could here her teeth grinding and she was lethargic (even though the morning of the vet visit she bounced back and was acting like her normal self and her poop looked slightly more normal). They told me that I need to feed her more pellets, which I didn’t really understand cause they didn’t say how much more or what type so I felt and still feel kind of lost.
        Apple’s diet right now is a cup of veggies which is broken down to 1/2 a cup at morning and 1/2 at night, unlimited Timothy hay with a small mix of alfalfa hay, and 1/4 cup of young rabbit alfalfa pellets (Oxbow Garden Select brand).
        I feel like I’ve done so much research at this point about house bunny diets and I’m still just as clueless as before I met Apple! I read that of her poop is soft to cut back on carbohydrates which is found in pellets but this exactly conflicts with what the vet told me to do. The only information I got from the vet was a generic rabbit diet pamphlet that you can find at any pet store but it doesn’t specify what she should be having at this age and of how much. I just need to know what she should exactly be eating at her age and of how much. The vet said Timothy hay pellets are a no-go, so am I right to feed her alfalfa pellets? I read in some articles that at this age she should be getting unlimited pellets and some say only 1/4-1/8 cups. Should she be getting less veggies? More veggies? If anyone could pleaseeeee help me figure out the proper diet for my baby, I just want her to live a comfortable life with the proper diet! She is my best friend and I would do anything to make her happy!

        (I included some pictures here of what she looks like and kind of the space she lives in. She has a room but I never shut the gate because my apartment is bunny proofed and really small anyways. I also included what her poop has been looking like as well, so hopefully that adds context)


      • Wick & Fable
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          The small bundle poo in your photo is called a “cecotrope” — this is a type of poop rabbits actually eat to fully absorb all the “good stuff” their diet provides. You can watch this video for an understanding of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s-GhDknV1A&ab_channel=OxbowAnimalHealth … as well as read/see here for information on types of rabbit poop, their appearance/texture, and what that indicates: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rabbit_poop

          Directly to your concern, if what you’re seeing is a lot of cecotropes, that is normal for a young rabbit on an alfalfa-rich diet (yes, alfalfa pellets is correct for her age). In an adult rabbit whose diet has no alfalfa, you will typically never see a cecotrope because they eat them directly from their bum. In young rabbits with alfalfa-based diets, they are getting a lot more nutrients/minerals (to ensure healthy growth) and that can lead to a production for excess cecotropes; therefore, they don’t eat all of them. As long as you’re seeing her eat some of them and they are not giving her poopy butt (see the WabbitWiki link for information on that), you do not need to be concerned about the cecotropes lying around.

          Speaking to her regular poo (i.e., not cecotropes; the single spheres that are generally uniform in size and vastly abundant), if you can crush it and it’s generally flaky/crumbly and you see plenty of hay specks, it is generally (probably) fine. The literal “golden poo” standard can be pretty impossible to achieve in some rabbits honestly– both of my rabbits have darker poo, and this can come from a variety of reasons that can also not be an issue health-wise. As best as I can describe as a stranger who can’t actually examine your rabbit (and am not a vet!), if there are plenty of poops made per day, the poos are uniform in size, shape, color, and texture, and you are confirming with your own eyes that your rabbit is acting and eating healthy (especially hay), I would say things are probably fine.

          Did you slowly introduce all the veggies you’re providing her?

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • LBJ10
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            Wick is correct. Excess cecotropes at this stage are not unusual. As long as she doesn’t have poopy butt, I wouldn’t be concerned. The problem will resolve itself once she transitions to an adult diet. Not sure why the vet said Timothy pellets were a no-go. If she is 5-7 months old and a Nethie, then she is probably done growing in size (or will be soon). Smaller breeds can be transitioned to an adult diet sooner than larger breeds because they stop growing at a younger age.


          • Ellie from The Netherlands
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              She is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve always dreamed of a black sable otter Nethie! Her fur is so luxurious and shiny đŸ˜đŸ„°

              I agree with the suggestion to slowly wean her off junior food by mixing in small bits of adult food every day. Nethie girls get their puberty somewhere around 4-5 months, and from there on they only grow sideways 😉

              Speaking of puberty: is she spayed yet? If not, I’d keep her on her current diet until she’s well healed from her spay.

              Nethies are known for having a sensitive digestive system: if she doesn’t adjust well to a new adult food you may want to look for grain-free pellets. Our bridge bunny Breintje had an upset stomach often, and it really improved by going grain-free. Our new young bunnies are on grain-free pellets too now that they’re both fixed, and they’re pooping like champs!

               

              Edit to add info about amounts: our vets recommend 25 g of adult pellets per 1 kg of rabbit. This can be a lot less than the packaging says: the manufacturer would have us feed our rabbits 80 g of pellets a day, while they’re only 1,3 kg (!!!) Well, 33 g it is, and not a bit more. Rabbits can get fat very quickly, so pellets should be restricted after they’re all grown up.


            • White Rabbit
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                Cute bun, some great info given, welcome to the forum.

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            Forum DIET & CARE *CALLING ALL BUNNY PARENTS* What am I doing wrong! Please help :(